Articles

WCAG 2.1 is a blessing for creating accessible experiences. Yet a lot of the guidelines seem focused on development. Sadly, this leads many designers and content strategists to assume that accessibility is a developer’s job – when in reality, everyone has a role to play. Accessible content and design are just as important as accessible…

At Mad*Pow’s Health Experience Design conference, Jenka Gurfinkel gave a Lunch and Learn on reclaiming technology as a means of health. In her talk, she revisited the topic of UX cruelty. This (typically inadvertent) practice results in millions of poor user experiences – all because the designers are more focused on “delight” than compassion. I’ve…

Voice UI is a hot topic, and one that brings with it a lot of assumptions. Much as Star Trek imagined the first iPad back in the late 1980s, films and television today suggest Voice UI could become a friend, personal assistant, and more. But in reality we’ve a ways to go. For starters, voice…

Beyond the Content Pillar: How to Convert Killer Content into Quality Leads, by Lori Uzzo and Melissa Pickle A content pillar is a large, meaty asset that can be repurposed in many ways – an ebook, a guide, a webinar. It takes a substantial commitment of content resources. But there are challenges. Challenge: Small Teams…

Mapping Marketing to Moments, by Andrew Hanelly Getting attention is hard. As a middle child, failed rockstar, wannabee writer, Andrew learned that. Earning attention is how you monetize a business. Attention is the currency of business. You need to earn it, keep it, and monetize it. How do you get attention? Plenty of marketers try…

Scratching a Niche: Digital Marketing When the Audience is Small, by Joshua Golden Digital marketing is like ax throwing – you close your eyes and hope it hits a bullseye. So Joshua dials in with these steps: Calculating cost and setting a budget Choosing audiences Dialing in on the competition Standing out Optimizing and testing Getting the…

Every year the Health Experience Design conference brings together patients and providers, health systems and health insurers, designers and developers. We meet to discuss the state of healthcare. At the same time, we explore ways to improve the experience. This year the theme was systemic healthcare change – and I’ve rarely been more inspired. What…

Self-Care Support & Mental Health Services for Black Men, by Kevin Dedner When Kevin heard the George Zimmerman verdict, he felt sick. He started researching whether just being a black man could make him sick. He found that untreated mental health in black men is one of the reasons they have the lowest life expectancy…

Meaningful Engagement Through Behavior Change Design, by Amy Bucher There is a problem with the phrase “patient engagement”. We’re trying to accomplish our goals – not the patients’ goals. If we’re trying to help people we need to consider who will really get hurt, and who is benefiting. Behavior change design on the other hand, has…

How Kaiser Permanente is using human centered design to help members understand and improve their emotional health, by were Trina Histon, Scott Heisler, and Aubrey Kraft At Kaiser Permanente there are many patients who are sub-clinical but are feeling distress. They wanted to understand what would be more convenient and provide more options for people,…